Steering-axle.



No. 825,329. I PATBNTED JULY 10, 1906. H. LEMP.

STEERING AXLE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25, 1905.

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Witnesses: Myer tor:

UITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

, RRRMANN LEMP, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAR ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

STEERING-AXLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1906.

Application filed September 25, 1905. Serial No. 279,936.

To aZZ whom it nay concern:

Be it known that I, HERMANN LEMP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steering-Axles, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to automobiles; and its object is to obviate some of the difiiculties heretofore experienced with steeringaxles of a certain type. 1

It is well known that the modern automobile has both axles rigidly secured to the 'frame of the chassis and that the steeringwheels are mounted on short stub-axles projecting from knuckles hinged on upright pivots at the ends of the front axle. The knuc kles are usually received between the jaws of a forked or C-shaped forging attached to the axle and having in each jaw a hole for the 11 right pivot-bolt. It has been proposed to p ace hardened-steel washers between the ends of the knuckle and the jaws in order to provide -a good, wearing-surface; but the means roposed' for adjusting these washers and loclii jaws toward each other, and thereby throw the wear-plates out of parallelism, so that one side was subjected to more wear than the other. Moreover, the pivot-bolt was free to turn and had a tendency to unlock the looknuts. I have therefore devised the present invention to remedy these troubles.

' It consists in the combination, with the jaws, pivot-bolt, and knuckle, of hardened annular wear-plates above and below said knuckle, sliding freely on the bolt, an adjusting-nut on said'bolt having a cylindrical hub fitting easily in a bearing in the lower jaw, a

lock-nut underneath said adjusting-nut, and a cotter pin to prevent loss of said nuts.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved steeringaxle. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section throu h the knuc kles. Fig. 4 is a plan view 0' one of the wear-plates, and Fig. 5 shows a modification.

The end of the front axle is provided with' a forging 1, havin an up er jaw 2 and a lower jaw 3,in whic are holes having a common axis. The stub-axle 4 for the front wheel of the .automobile projects from a knuckle 5, which fits between said jaws and has an arm 6 at an angle with the stub-axle,

11g the bolt have tended to draw the and tien locked by the nut 13. nut 11 does not abut against the lower jaw,

.ment, and the plates'wi 8, which passes down through the holes in the jaws, the shank of said bolt fitting snugly in the hole in the upper jaw. The head 9 of the bolt rests on said upper jaw and is locked against an ular movement by a pin 10 passing throug it into said jaw. The lower end of the bolt below the knuckle is screw-threaded and meshes with a nut 11, having a smooth cylindrical hub 12, rotatable in a cylindrical bearing in the lower jaw. A locknut 13 is placed on the projecting lower por tion of the bolt and abuts against the lower end' of the nut 11. A cotter-pin 14 in a transverse hole in the bolt prevents these nuts from working off and getting lost.

' In the ends of theknuckle are hardenedsteel bushings 15, whose ends bear against hardened-steel annular wear-plates 16, placed against the inner surface of the jaws concentric with the bolt and prevented from rotatin by a flattened side 17, engaging with a shoulder 18 of said jaw. Both plates have a smooth central aperture easily fitting the shank of the bolt.

When it becomes necessary to set the plates against the knuckles, either on assembling the machine or to take up wear, the adjusting-nut 11, which abuts against the lower wearlate, is screwed upward on the bolt Since the the jaws will not .be cramped by this adjust 1 remain parallel. The locking-pin 1O prevents the bolt from turning when the nuts are manipulated and also keeps it from working around and unlocking the two nuts by the jarring of the ma: chine when running. It is evident that other means could be substituted for the pin 10, such as a poly onal shank on the upper ortion of the be t fitting a corresponding ole' in the jaw, as shown in Fig. 5. What I claim as new, and desire to securc by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- 1. In a steering-axle, the combination with the jaws,-of the knuckle, the pivot-bolt passing through said jaws and knuckle, wearplates surrounding said bolt at the ends of" the jaws, of the knuckle, the pivot-bolt passing throughthem, wear-plates surrounding said belt at the ends of said knuckle, an adjusting-nut on said bolt having a smooth cylindrical hub fitting a bearing in the lower jaw, and a lock-nut below said adjusting-nut.

3. In asteering-axle, the combination with the jaws, of the knuckle, the pivot-bolt pass ing through said jaws and knuckle, means for locking said bolt from turning, wear-plates between said jaws and knuckles, and an adjusting-nut on said bolt having a smooth cylindricalzhub rotatable in a bearing in the lowerjaw.

4; In a steering-axle, the combination with the jaws, of the knuckle having bushings in gaging a shoulder on its jaw, an adjustingnut having a smooth cylindrical hub rotata- .ble in a bearing in the lower jaw and abut,-

tin against the lower wear-plate, and means for ocking said adjusting-nut.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 22d day of September, 1905.

HERMANN LEMP.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. MOMAN-US,IJ' I., HENRY 0. WESTENDARP. 

